Treatment pattern and response for cluster headache in Korea: A prospective multicenter observation study

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Clinical Medicine
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Limited data exists on cluster headache treatment patterns and responses in Asian populations.
• Cluster headache is a debilitating neurological disorder with significant unmet needs in certain demographics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the real-world treatment patterns for cluster headache in an Asian population.
• To evaluate the treatment response rates of various therapies for cluster headache in this demographic.

Main Methods:

• Prospective study involving 262 cluster headache patients from 16 Korean hospitals (Sept 2016 - Jan 2019).
• Survey of previous treatment experiences and physician-prescribed acute/preventive treatments.
• Evaluation of treatment response at 2 weeks and 3 months post-initiation.

Main Results:

• Oral triptans (73.4%), verapamil (68.3%), and systemic steroids (55.6%) were most common.
• Acute treatments: oral triptans (90.1%) and oxygen (86.8%) showed high effectiveness.
• Preventive treatments demonstrated response rates from 75.0% to 91.8%.

Conclusions:

• This study offers the first prospective analysis of cluster headache treatment responses in an Asian population.
• Patients responded well to treatments, potentially due to medication combinations, despite limited options.
• Under-treatment was common, indicating a need to improve awareness among primary care physicians.